Jason Patterson & Andrea DuPlessis
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUPClick for larger view | Figure 1 Jason Patterson Photo by Wendell Gorden, ©2006 |
Click for larger view | Figure 2 Andrea Duplessis Photo by Wendell Gorden, ©2006 |
ROWELL: How would you describe the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans musicians?
PATTERSON: There're fewer musicians now in New Orleans. But we at Snug Harbor are able to open seven nights a week. We still have a variety of quality music talent here. The talent pool is still around, even though maybe some are not in New Orleans proper. They're living in Baton Rouge, or they're living over on the North Shore, but they come in and do engagements here. So, there's not as big a pool, but the music community is definitely back.
North Shore is one of the boundaries of New Orleans. As you know, Lake Pontchartrain is a big body of water to the north of us, and then the North Shore is on the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. There have been a lot of vacation homes on the North Shore since the 1800s.
ROWELL: In other parts of the country, we have come to stereotype New Orleans as a music center. We tend to think only of brass bands and "dixieland music" and, of course, jazz. But there are other forms—gospel and blues, of course. Will you talk about the variety of the music culture of New Orleans?
PATTERSON: New Orleans is one of the few cities that generate music. In other parts of the country, people attempt to categorize the music: gospel, blues, jazz. New Orleans musicians do not categorize the music; they just play the music. The old-school musicians are proud to be able to play any music that is put before them. What I have found is that things develop here: either they are born or developed here; or they start with a sound and then they tend to get categorized after they leave this town. The categories are blurred in this town. For example, almost any musician here can play gospel, blues, jazz—or even Cajun two-step. But Cajun isn't intrinsic to New Orleans. But the musicians can play it, because it's popular. Whatever tends to be asked for the musicians can play it. [End Page 1290]
ROWELL: Imagine that we're in Laredo, Texas, or Syracuse, New York, or Normandy, France, or Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and someone asked you, "What is this thing you call 'the brass band' in New Orleans?"
PATTERSON: [Laughing.] I know you know. That kind of question would come from someone not of this background where a school marching band would be considered a brass band. The brass bands in New Orleans essentially retained a certain period that was popular all around the country at one time. Brass bands were a very big deal around the turn of the century. I think what was unique in New Orleans is that they retained the genre because of the street life, because of the social desire that we have here. New Orleans has a unique kind of social environment. It has always had parties and functions and social events. So, a brass band, which is mobile and makes a lot of noise, can function under all these kinds of circumstances. It is very versatile: it can play in a park, and it can play in a parade. It was retained here, because of the environment, because they can continue to get work. Do you know much about the history of New Orleans?
ROWELL: I know a little, but not a lot—not as much as I know about New York and Philadelphia.
PATTERSON: In the past, there were a lot of black benevolent societies. I'm talking about the period of racial segregation—segregation mandated by law. During that time, there were things that black people could not get—some of which was insurance and medical care. So...
